Project Ignition Students Take the Lead During National Teen Driver Safety Week

ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Project Ignition students are organizing powerful awareness and engagement activities across the United States during National Teen Driver Safety Week, October 16 – 22, 2011. According to State Farm® claims data, October is the most dangerous month of the year for teen driver crashes.

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Funded by State Farm and coordinated by the National Youth Leadership Council®, Project Ignition students change community norms around teen driver safety while making powerful academic connections. Grant applications are currently being accepted for more students, teachers and communities to join in this national, ongoing effort to save lives on the road through service-learning.  

Project Ignition students work especially hard to raise awareness and change behaviors during October, a dangerous month when students have returned to school, attend homecoming and drive more due to busier schedules. Two of the many activities they will lead across the nation this week include:

• On Monday, October 17, Springlake-Earth High School students in Earth, Texas will unveil state-approved signs they secured, notifying drivers that it is illegal to use cell phones in their school zone.
• On Tuesday, October 18, Miss Illinois will visit Fieldcrest High School in Minonk, Ill. to participate in the students' all-school program regarding teen driver safety. She will sign the students' pledge wall, joining thousands of others in a commitment to never text and drive.

"There is no group better equipped to address teen driver safety than teens themselves. Project Ignition believes that with youth leadership, significant change will be possible and car crashes will no longer remain the leading cause of death for teen drivers," said Michael VanKeulen, national director of Project Ignition at the National Youth Leadership Council.

For more information about the specific ways students are raising awareness this week and throughout the school year follow Project Ignition at www.facebook.com/projectignition. To learn more about how to join this effort to save lives on the road or participate in one of this week's free webinars regarding what works in teen driver safety, visit www.sfprojectignition.com. Grant applications are due November 15.

For more information about NYLC and service-learning go to www.nylc.org.

For more information about State Farm go to statefarm.com® or, in Canada, statefarm.ca®.

About NYLC

NYLC has been at the center of service-learning programs and policy development since 1983. The organization convenes the annual National Service-Learning Conference®, offers adult and youth trainings, runs model programs, directs service-learning research, and develops service-learning resources. Its mission is to create a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world with young people, their schools, and their communities through service-learning.

SOURCE National Youth Leadership Council